1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention is generally related to bowstring releases and is specifically directed to a bowstring release having a single jaw motion activated by a trigger.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art.
Bowstring releases have been utilized to enhance the accuracy of archers for many years. Numerous releases have been developed and a wide variety of designs and styles are available to accommodate the various needs and desires of the individual archer. Paul Peck and Lynn Tentler have been issued a large number of patents covering a wide range of bowstring release functions and designs. Tru-Fire Corporation, the assignee of the subject application, is the world leader in the design, manufacture and sale of bowstring releases.
In recent years, bowstring releases have fallen into several specific categories as defined by the trigger mechanism, the strap design and the notch/jaw configuration. The present invention is directed primarily to the notch/jaw configuration and the trigger mechanism. In the notch/jaw category, there are two basic design families, namely, a dual motion jaw where both jaw members pivot outwardly from the string path when the trigger release is activated and a single jaw motion where a pivotable jaw moves outwardly from a stationary jaw upon release of the trigger. The subject invention is directed to the single jaw group.
There are several prior art designs which fall into this group of bowstring releases. Some of the earlier designs used an L-shaped pivot member wherein the string retaining element is a cylindrical extension on the short leg of the L. The string retaining element abutted against a stationary surface on the fixed jaw to retain the string. The element was held in place by a trigger mechanism and would pivot away from the stationary surface or abutment when the trigger was released, thereby permitting the bowstring to be released from the retaining system. Various triggering mechanisms could be utilized with this conceptual design without departing from the basic jaw configuration.
A more recent example of this type of design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,765,536 issued to John William Scott on Jun. 16, 1998. The jaw mechanism operates in essentially the same manner as the prior art L-shaped jaw, with the substitution of a string retaining and circumscribing notch to hold the string in place of the cylindrical string retaining element. For the most part, there is very little technical advance over the prior art by the Scott configuration. Any of a number of trigger designs and strap designs could be adapted to this configuration without departing from the basic single jaw mechanism as shown in Scott. The rotating body shown in Scott is substantially shown and described in numerous of the aforementioned Peck patents.